The track laying ceremony of Malaysian East Coast Rail Link built by China Communications Construction Company

The track laying of Malaysian East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a mega railway project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was launched on Monday, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah witnessed the historic moment and officially launched the track laying for the project in a ceremony held on Monday at the construction site.

Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook said in a speech during the ceremony that the project will bring benefits to the local economy, and will uplift connectivity of local communities and technology transfer.

"The railway will shorten the travel time between Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur within one hour and 30 minutes, and the travel times by highway was three hours," Loke said.

Loke said the overall construction progress of the project has completed 56.3 percent by the end of November this year, which was in line with the schedule. He said that advanced track-laying equipment introduced from China will help increase the rail construction efficiency. "The track-laying machine is expected to lay approximately 1.5 kilometers tracks per day," he said.

The railway was built by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) with a total length of 665 kilometers. It starts from Kota Bharu in Kelantan and ends at Port Klang in Selangor by passing through Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Selangor, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, according to the official website of CCCC.

Former Malaysian ambassador to China, Dato Abdul Majid, said in an interview that China-built ECRL linked four underdeveloped areas and now serves as an economic corridor, adding that, once the railway project is completed, the traffic flow will be much easier for people from the West coast to the East, which used to take seven to eight hours.

Global Times